Timed feeding device for carton blanks



May 26, 1953 R. w. ANNESS 2,639,916

TIMED FEEDING DEVICE FOR CARTON BLANKS Filed July 19, 1949 V a sheets-sheet 1 I N V EN TOR. 17 1/5551 1. ML 1. MM 4/V/Vf55,

ATTORNEYS.

May 26, 1953 R. w. ANNESS TIMED FEEDING DEVICE FOR CARTON BLANKS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 19, 1949 INVENTOR. F555 [4444/4114 /4/wvE ss,

ATTORNEYS.

May 26, 1953 R.W.ANNESS 2,639,916

TIMED FEEDING DEVICE FOR CARTON BLANKS Filed July 19, 1949 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 BYMYM ATTORNEYS.

Patented May 26, 1953 TIMED FEEDING DEVICE FOR CARTON BLANKS Russell William Anness, Middletown, Ohio, as-

signor to The Gardner Board and Carton 00., Middletown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application July 19, 1949, Serial No. 105,543

7 Claims.

My invention relates to devices for withdrawing sheet-like articles individually from an assembly of such articles and moving them forward, as for example, into a machine for the treatment of the articles. An important field of utility for the invention lies in the provision of feeding means for carton blanks in carton blank treating machines in general, and in particular in folding and gluing machines wherein knock-down carton structures are made from cut and scored paperboard blanks.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of feeding means of simple and dependable character which will very poistively withdraw individual carton blanks from an assembly or stack thereof.

An object of the invention is the provision of feeding means especially adapted for timed feedins, i. e. the withdrawal and forwarding of individual blanks and sheet-like articles in timed relationship to machine elements to which the articles themselves are fed.

An object of the-invention is the provision of a feeding means in which the blanks or sheet-like articles may be stacked substantially vertically, whereby farming of the blanks before insertion in the stack Or hopper is avoided.

An important object of the invention is the provision of feeding means which operate with great accuracy and are not liable to defects in operation, misfeeding, misalignment and the like.

Other objects of the invention which will be set forth hereinafter or will be apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading these specifications, I accomplish by that construction and arrangement of parts of which I shall nowdescribe an exemplary embodiment. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure l is a vertical elevation with parts in section of my feeding means;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the relationship of the operating parts.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic elevational view showing a somewhat modified structure.

Briefly, in the practice of my invention a hopper is provided in which the blanks are stacked substantially vertically. At the feed side of this hopper there is a retard element retaining the stack, and so set with respect to bottom elements hereinafter described, as to permit the exit of only one of the blanks at a time from the bottom of the stack. Hitherto in'the provision of stacking devices, it has been usual to provide a bottom element in the form of a rotating roll having a rubber or other friction pad located on its surface. As the roll rotates the friction pad engages the lowermost one of the carton blanks in the stack and moves it forward from beneath the stack. Departing from this structure, I provide bottom elements for use in connection with the feed retard which are in the form of continuously moving blank feeding devices. Preferably they are rubber belts having a considerable eX- tension in the direction of the feed. However, I also provide a series of oscillating supports, moving in timed relationship to the other elements of the machine. These supports serve to raise the stack of carton blanks above the bottom elements just described excepting at that particular time when the driven bottom elements are to engage and move forwardly the lowermost carton of the stack, at which time the supporting elements lower the stack so that the bottom blank contacts the driving elements. These supports engage the stack of carton blanks at the feeding edge. The opposite edge of the blanke are supported by a rotating roll which also is provided with a rubber or other frictional pad, and is timed in its movements with the other elements of the machine. At the instant of feeding a blank from the bottom of the stack the frictional pad on the last mentioned roller engages the blank near its trailing edge. Simultaneously the stack of carton blanks is lowered so that the leading edge of the same blank is contacted by the bottom elements aforesaid. Thus the blank is positively moved forward; and this is done in such a way as to prevent cocking and misalignment.

The details of this construction in an exemplary form will now be described. In Figure 2 I have shown an end of a carton folding and gluing machine having side rails l and 2. A shaft 3 is journaled in suitable side bearings in these side rails, and bears a sprocket 4 connected by a chain 5 with another sprocket 6, which in turn is connected in any suitable way with the main drive of the machine so that the shaft 3 will rotate in timed sequence therewith. In the particular embodiment illustrated the shaft 3 bears three sheaves, 1, 8, and 9, traversed by rubber belts, and forming a front bottoming element for the stack of blanks. The rubber belts for the outer ones of these sheaves are indicated at l0 and II. As shown most clearly in Figure 1 they pass forwardly in the direction of the feed and return over sheaves, one of which is shown at I2 on a shaft [3 which also bears a sprocket for one or more feed chains l4 having lugs l5 for receiving and transporting the individual carton blanks through the machine.

There is an upper cross bar [6 on the machine, and from it, by suitable brackets I"! and I8 I suspend pressure hold downs I9 and 20 coacting with the belts I and II. These hold downs are of conventional type comprising a framework in which small rolls are journaled, which rolls bear upon the individual carton blanks in turn resting upon the belts. The forward flight of the belts l0 and II may be supported by small rolls 2| journaled in any suitable way and illustrated in Figure 1. The shaft I3 is journaled in brackets 22 on a lower cross bar 23 in the machine. The shaft may be driven by the chain or chains l4 or otherwise as may be desired.

The belt 24 passing over the center sheave 8 is preferably not carried forwardly but downwardly as shown in Figure 1, returning around a sheave 25 pivoted to an arm 26 on a shaft 21 mounted in brackets 28 on the machine. This construction provides a continuous tension on the belt 24. The tension in belt 24 is brought about by reason of the fact that one of its sheaves (25) is so mounted on the arm 26, which in turn is pivotally mounted on the shaft 21, as to be constantly urged by gravity in a clockwise direction about the shaft 2'! (as viewed in Figure 1), this direction of movement being away from its other sheave (8). Thus, even should the belts l0 and H become slightly loose, positive gripping of the leading edge of a sheet will still be effected by the ever taut belt 24; once movement is initiated by belt 24, belts I0 and II can take over even if slightly loose. The need for constant adjustment of the belts I0 and H is thus eliminated. The sprocket and sheave elements thus far described are preferably made adjustable on their several shafts so that they may be moved laterally to accommodate blanks or varying sizes.

The cross bar l8 also supports a bracket which is adjustable as shown and which supports the feed retard. This bracket is provided with a vertical plate 3|] against which the feed retard 3| rests; and the feed retard is preferably made adjustable up and down, as may be accomplished by engaging a threaded rod 32 in it, journaling the rod in a turned over end of the face plate 30 and providing it with an adjusting knob 33. Additional adjustable brackets such as the bracket 34 in Figure 2 may be provided each with its own feed retard, or the feed retard may be made in the form of a panel common to and supported by a plurality of the bracket means and adjustment means. The feed retard or retards as the case may be are adjusted so as to provide space for the exit of only one carton blank at a time between their lower ends and the upper surfaces of the rubber belts H], H and 24, which have previously been described.

The front or feeding side of the hopper for the assembly of carton blanks is formed by the feed retard element or elements. These elements, instead of being made of wood or steel are preferably made of rubber since I find that the frictional characteristics of this material are helpful in controlling the feed. Non-frictional materials may, however, be employed. The sides of the hopper are formed by a plurality of upstanding fingers 35 and 36, and the rear of the hopper by fingers 31. These are adjustably mounted upon rails 38 and 39 which in turn are laterally adjustable in the machine on cross rail elements l6 and 40. Thus, the size of the hopper may be adjusted to blanks of different sizes. Prolongations 38 and 39, extending in the direction of feed may be formed into channelshaped guides for the lateral edges of the fed blank, as will readily be understood by one familiar with carton folding and gluing machines. Such channel-shaped guides are not herein illustrated.

Beneath the rear ends of carton blanks 4| in the hopper (see Figure 1), I journal a shaft 42 in brackets 43 on a cross-rail 44. This shaft bears a sprocket 45 connected by a chain 46 to a. sprocket 41 on the shaft 3. The shaft 42 also bears a roll 48, lying beneath the rear ends of the carton blanks 4|, and provided with a rubber or other friction pad 49 of minor extent. The trailing ends of the cartons 4| in the hopper may rest against the surface of the roll 48 as indicated above; but it is also within the scope of my invention to provide a series of fingers 50 and 5| suitably supported on the machine, which act to keep the trailing ends of the cartons away from the metal surface of the roll 48, but are so proportioned that the rubber or other frictional pad 49 can contact the cartons.

A series of lower supports in the form of bars 52, 53, 54 and 55, are pivoted on the shaft 42 and extend forwardly under the stack of carton blanks 4|. Where the dimensions and considerations of adjustment permit, these bars may be joined together at their rear ends and pivoted by means of trunnions 55 and 51 as has been shown in Figure 2. This will make it necessary to provide only one cam actuator for each set of bars attached to a trunnion.

At the forward ends of these bars I provide adjustable elements, one of which is indicated at 58 in Figure l, carrying a cam following roller 59. The several rollers bear against cams, one of which is illustrated at en in Figure l. The cams are fastened to the shaft 3, and are so configured as to raise and lower the bars 52 to 55 in a timed relationship.

The operation of my feeding device may best be appreciated from the diagram Figure 3 where like parts have been given like index numerals. The diagram illustrates the relation of parts at the start of a feeding operation for the lowermost carton blanks. The shafts 3 and 42 are rotating and it will be seen that the rear or curling marginal portion of the lowermost carton blank is engaged by the frictional pad 49 and is started forward thereby. The cams 60 next operate to lower the bars represented by the bar 55, and the forward edge of the lowermost carton blank comes down into contact with the feeding belts l0, H and 24. Thus the lowermost carton blank is moved forwardly positively by a plurality of frictional feed belts and the rubber pad 49 until the leading edge of the lowermost carton blank passes beneath the feed retard element 3|. Continuous movement of the lowermost carton blank is produced by its engagement between the belts Hi and H and the overhead hold downs I9 and 20 as will be readily understood. When the lowermost carton blank has been started on its way, the cam element 60 acts to raise the supporting bars 52 to 55 so that the feed retard or retards act positively to prevent the feeding of the next carton in the stack. The feeding of the previously started carton blank is not disturbed, however, since it is still engaged between the belts l0 and H and the overhead hold downs. Throughout the non-feeding cycle of the apparatus, the stack in s of carton blanks is thus held positively in relation to the feed retard or retards elements 3| in such a way as to prevent any feeding.

Modifications may be made in my invention without departing from the spirit of it. The ad- ,iustability of the several parts to accommodate carton blanks of different sizes will be readily appreciated by the skilled worker in the art. In instances where the depth of the carton blanks in the direction of the feed is slight, it may be necessary to move the rolls d8 forwardly. This may be accomplished. as shown in Figure 4, where like parts are given like index numerals, by employing for the belt 24 an upper sheave 8a which is substantially smaller in diameter than sheaves I and 9 and which is mounted on a separate shaft so that the surface of the belt 24 may be brought to the same level as the surfaces of the belts ID and l l The belt 24 in this instance may return over a lower sheave G2 and may be provided with an idler tensioning or take-up sheave 63. In this arrangement. and with a suitable configuration of the bars 52, 53, 54 and 55, the roll 48 may be brought in quite close to the feed retard 3| as will be evident from Figure 4.

Other modifications may be made in the inven tion so that, having described the invention in an exemplary embodiment, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A feeding means for sheet-like articles comprising a hopper having at its feed side a feed retard element in the form of a substantially vertical abutment against which a stack of the sheetlike articles may be positioned, a moving means positioned substantially beneath said feedv retard and including at least one belt having a frictional surface to engage a leading edge of the lowermost sheet-like article in said stack, said feed retard being spaced. from said surface a distance sufficient to permit the passage of one such article, a supporting'means for engaging the leading edge of said stack and movable from a position below said surface to a position thereabove together with means for moving said supporting means from one position to the other in timed sequence so that after a sheet-like article is engaged by said surface and is moved forwardly in the direction of feed, the leading edge of said stack is raised by said supporting means to prevent the next succeeding article being engaged by said frictional surface, additional moving means for periodically engaging the trailing edge of said lowermost article, said additional means comprising a roll having a friction pad for engaging a trailing marginal portion of said lowermost sheet-like article, said roll being driven in timed relationship to said supporting means, and additional supporting means for the trailing edge of said stack, said additional supporting means holding the trailing edge of said stack out of contact with said roll, said pad extending from said roll sufficient to effect said engagement, whereby initial forward movement of said lowermost sheet-like article is produced jointly by the pulling movement of said first mentioned moving means on a leading edge of said article and by a pushing movement on a trailing portion by said pad, so as to withdraw articles from said stack individually with great accuracy and freedom from misfeeding and misalignment, said pad moving out of engagement with said lowermost article after movement of said lowermost article is initiated, the trailing edge of said stack thereafter being supported on the said additional supporting means.

2. The structure claimed in claim 1 wherein a shaft is positioned substantially beneath said feed retard and bears a sheave over which said belt passes and wherein said belt also passes over a forward sheave, said sheaves defining a forward flight for said belt and wherein forwardly of said feed retard there is a hold-down for keeping the sheet-like article in feeding contact with the surface of said belt in said flight.

3. The structure claimed in claim 2 wherein said first mentioned supporting means comprises at least one bar-like element pivoted rearwardly of said feed retard, and moving on said pivot, said shaft bearing a cam acting upon said bar to move it.

4. The structure claimed in claim 3 wherein said bar is pivoted on a second shaft and wherein said second shaft carries said roll having a friction pad for engaging a trailing marginal portion of said lowermost sheet-like article and wherein said roll is driven in timed relationship to said first mentioned shaft.

5. The structure claimed in claim 1 in which said additional supporting means comprises a plurality of lower supporting fingers provided adjacent the trailing edge of said lowermost sheet-like article to support said stack out of contact with the surface of said roll while permitting contact of said friction pad with said lowermost sheet-like article.

6. The structure claimed in claim 5 wherein a plurality of sheaves and belts are provided, two at least of said belts having a forward flight and one at least of said belts having no forward flight but provided with a downward bight engaged by a tensioning sheave.

7. In a process of feeding sheet-like articles from a stack thereof, the steps of lowering the leading edge only of said stack with respect to a feed retard and a moving delivery means located therebeneath, whereby to cause said delivery means to engage a leading edge of the lowermost sheet-like article in said stack and move it forwardly beneath said feed retard, while at the same time supporting the trailing edge of said stack against lowering movement and causing a trailing marginal portion of the lowermost article in said stack to be engaged by frictional driving means to assist the propulsive force of said delivery means, and then raising the leading edge of said stack while continuing to support the trailing edge thereof, whereby to prevent withdrawal of a succeeding article.

RUSSELL WILLIAM ANNESS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 15,293 La Bombard Feb. 28, 1922 549,111 Crowell Nov. 5, 1895 586,903 Jessup July 20, 1897 976,640 Cowles Nov. 22, 1910 1,262,383 Otarii et al Apr. 9, 1918 1,555,378 La Bombard Sept. 29, 1925 1,971,962 Jones Aug. 28, 1934 2,251,945 La Bombard Aug. 12, 1941 2,456,449 Rouan et a1 Dec. 14, 1948 

